Ouya gets $10 million investment from Alibaba

Reportedly, Alibaba has invested $10 million in Ouya, the Kickstarter darling that never made a splash with consumers.

Ouya, which started by building tiny Android-based set-top consoles for gamers, has mostly migrated to becoming a software provider, and that means that Alibaba is planning to integrate the Ouya operating system and its 1000 game strong lineup into their own set-tops.

When Ouya first hit Kickstarter, it was an instant hit, reaching $8.5 million in funding in 2012. However, the set-top saw a few delays and by the time it came out, the PS4 and Xbox One were just months away from hitting shelves. Within months, Amazon and Nvidia also killed Ouya by offering casual gaming on the big screen, at the same price and with more features.

Since overhauling and getting out of the hardware business, Ouya has partnered with Madcatz and Xiaomi who have integrated the software into their more popular hardware. Certainly, Alibaba could help increase that existing network, as well.